ALY ALLEN | THE BLOG

so i haven't been back to the blog since i shared july's free printable! it's a barely-blogging season right now, which is okay. sometimes it's nice to live out life instead of constantly thinking about how i could blog about this or that, you know? anyway, this months free paintable is one of my favorite quotes because it reminds me to have hope. it reminds me that there is beauty from ashes, a light at the end of the tunnel, a reason for every single trial, and God's Grace is sufficient for me: it is 8x8, so i'd recommend printing it out on regular paper, and trimming the sides until you get to 8x8 [1/2 inch off each of the short sides, and 1 & 3/4 inch off each of the long sides]. 8x8 frames aren't very common, but sometimes it's fun to forget the frame and just use washi tape like katy did in her baby girl's nursery or.... Source: modernparentsmessykids.com via Becca on Pinterest ...

i thought it would be fun to start offering a free printable every month. what do you think? this was inspired from Sunday's She Reads Truth devotion. we're going through "Living the Surrendered Life" in the YouVersion app. on day 11, the author set out to change our thinking when it comes to the popular sentiment  "follow your heart" . i've always been uncomfortable with this saying, because Jeremiah 17:9 tells us that the heart is deceitful above all things, doesn't it? anyway, i was relieved she mentioned it and reminded us that instead of following our hearts, we should be guarding our hearts [proverbs 4:23] because everything flows forth from it [luke 6:45] . in case you need that reminder too... mint: or coral: two more things and then i'll let you go... 1) i have two new prints in the shop !  " Trust in the Lord " and a loooong-overdue redesign of " Fruit of the Spirit ". 2) i...

so, my birthday is in about ten days. and i figured what better way to celebrate than  by offering a discount to YOU !? so from now until July 9 [my birthday] you can get 28% off your order using BDAY28 at checkout...  can you guess how old i'll be? if you guessed 28, you're right ;) here's a little sampling of what you'll find in the shop [there are lots more color combos in each piece, so make sure to look at all the listing photos!] oh, and before i forget, Leslie is doing a little giveaway over here . i think there's still time to enter! you can win either 2 prints OR one hoop . your choice :) and yes, i do realize i have not written one thing in this space in over a month... have a good weekend! 

see that cute little screen shot above?? click on it ! my friend Sarah is hosting a giveaway right now for a set of   three prints from my shop! [your choice] i believe it ends thursday at midnight, so hurry over right now!  your odds are pretty good, too. only a few people have entered so far :)

hey friends!  i got inspired today to make a couple new prints/printables today.  they'll be in the "diy" shop by tomorrow [as a printable] but i figured i'd give you a little sneak peek!

okay, i think this is my new favorite. i made it for my daughter's room, since we sing "Jesus Loves Me" every night before bed [at least 3 or 4 times] so naturally, i've added it to the shop too! [find it here]

1 corinthians 13. a classic, right? i think we tend to dismiss it because we hear it so often but its message is really important. here's what i came up with. i love it, and cannot decide which color-way i want to hang in my house: you can buy here , and then i'll email you the high res jpg file.

my niece [and nephew] started kindergarten last week. i can't believe how quickly they grew up, and it only makes me cherish the moments i have left before my little one goes off to school! anyway, i made some headbands for her to match their little uniforms. so, naturally, i decided to sell some of the same designs. so far, i just have them listed as hair clips, but they can all be attached to a headband too. there's a new section called "back to school/uniforms" where you can find everything, and there will be more designs coming soon: and just because i'm feeling extra generous, use coupon code BACK2SCHOOL for free shipping for the next two weeks.

it's my birthday on saturday. the big 2-7! so, in case you missed it, i'm offering a HUGE, unheard of  27% discount on anything in the shop . use BDAY27 at checkout. applies to anything--- patterns, printables, and finished pieces! from now until saturday. july 9. my birthday :) here are some of the awesome things you'll find, plus lots more: click on this collage to go to the "printables" section of the shop click on this collage to go to the "patterns" section of the shop click on this collage to go to the "finished pieces" section of the shop at 27% off of absolutely EVERYTHING, those prices are unbelievable. ridiculously low! don't forget to enter code BDAY27 at checkout [i won't be refunding the difference if you forget, sorry!]

just wanted to let you know that i've added two new prints to the shop . this time they're 10x8. i've gotten quite a few requests for some horizontally-oriented designs, so here they are!  i'm loving the stripes on this one. i think i might do stripes more often:  or no stripes is equally as pretty:  and also, a few more colors for the "oaks of righteousness" with the oak tree: head over to the shop to buy . remember, they're "print it yourself". you can either print at home on cardstock or you can send to costco or wherever you get photos printed (they look great on photo paper, believe me). scrapbookpictures.com is another option. really outdated and hard-to-navigate website, but they get the job done!

well, i finally decided on my  new business name ! thank you so much for all your votes and suggestions. i really liked all of the choices i threw at you, but here's what i went with: [click on the logo to go to the shop! there are some cute things already for sale there. even "ready to ship" finished pieces!] yay! i love it. a few days ago, when i decided to change the name, i was telling my husband how i really wanted something to do with fruit, but couldn't come up with anything i absolutely loved. i wanted something that would represent "bearing fruit" in some way. and i also really loved the word blossom (which was pretty obvious from my last post and all those choices that had "blossom" in it). but i just couldn't figure out how to incorporate the "blossom" and the "bearing of fruit" idea. of course, because she's amazing and beautiful, leslie came up with "blossom and vine"... without even knowing i...

inspired by yesterday's post , i've added some new prints to  the shop . i gathered up all the verses that i have plastered all over my house [on a 3x5 card in my handwriting] and made prints out of them. they're "print-it-yourself" [i email you the file] unless you come visit me at the Queen Bee Market , where they'll be printed and packaged and ready to frame! here are the new ones [yes, i watermarked them. lame, i know. click on them to get to the listing in my shop to buy] [click here to buy in any color] [click here to buy in any color] [click here to buy in any color] which one is your favorite? i have more that i need to get done, but believe it or not, these take a long time to do!!

i'd love a little help?!? i'm trying to choose a few photos to frame in my kitchen. all of food. all that i love. trying to decide if i should stick with one artist, or pull from a few different ones. i want the overall feel of the photos to be the same. so i either want all of them to be subdued in color, or vibrant in color... what are your three favorites together? here's a snapshot of my etsy favorites: of course, i could throw my own photo into the mix? maybe this could be #4? or is it too orange? i could re-stage this shot using lemons or strawberries. that might go better with the other photos? oh, and what do you think about these egg shots i snapped? should i just take my own photos and save the money. i realize they aren't as good, but maybe worth saving the money? your opinions, please!! featured shops above: Gallery 32 630 Photo Erica Lea Photography Poetic Photography Haley Johnson Fine Art Collection Lynda Naranjo Photography Honey & Jam Photography a...

maybe i'm just behind, but oh my goodness have you seen etsy's new feature called "activity"? it may just be cool for sellers, so bear with me if you're not a seller... so, you go to "your etsy" and at the very top of the left sidebar, you see this "activity" button. click that, and it gives you basically an rss feed of what's been happening. sorry this photo is seriously sooo small and horrible quality! who has hearted you, who has hearted an item of yours, what you've hearted, etc. i love it because i can see other sellers who've hearted me, and then go look at their stuff [and seriously, who doesn't love a good etsy stalking session... just getting lost and you can't remember where you started or why? gotta love that] P.S. i just noticed there's now an "activity feed" link, right next to "your etsy". i love all these new changes, don't you? :)